02 Jul Weight Loss with Cucumber – The Most Common Vegetable in India

Cucumber is one of the most common types of vegetables used in Indian households, in the form of a salad or as a Sabzi. Which is also known as kheera has great antioxidant properties and is known for its cooling effects. It actively prevents dehydration and is a popular ingredient used during summers. Cucumber is widely known for its weight loss benefits as well. Popularly used as a tummy filling snack late in the noon, cucumber contributes to a number of health benefits which we shall discuss further.

How Cucumber Helps In Reducing Weight

As I mentioned above, cucumber is extremely useful as a weight loss ingredient. There are many factors for the same.

Antioxidant properties

The antioxidant properties in cucumber help in detoxifying the body internally. Total cleansing of the body helps in getting rid of the harmful toxins from your body which are one of the main reasons for weight and fat gain. Regular consumption of cucumber detoxifies the body and helps in faster and effective weight loss.

Reduces bloating

Bloating is another reason which makes you look fat due to water retention. Bloating and water retention is caused due to extra salt consumption and heavy eating. Consuming cucumber after heavy and salty food helps in reducing bloating and water retention.

Low in calorie count

Cucumber is one of those rare food items which are high in nutrition and low in calorie count- which is one of the helpful ingredients in losing weight. One cup of cucumber contains only 16 calories, which is quite low in count. Adding cucumber as a snack in your daily diet would not add up to the calories and help you from exceeding the count. Plus, it is tummy filling. Intrigued much?

Filled with water

Cucumber contains 95% of water, which is why it is known as a ‘cool ingredient’. Since it is high in water content, cucumber consumption helps in filling your stomach faster and quenching your thirst. It prevents dehydration and thus lets you control your appetite.

Healthy heart

Weight gain and heart problems are often linked and are a major concern in the long term. Cucumber has a high potassium and magnesium level, which helps in maintaining a healthy heart. Cucumber also has high amount of lignans which are responsible for lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and maintaining a healthy heart.

Cucumber Recipes for weight loss

I have explained the ways in which cucumber can help in losing weight, now I shall explain you the ways in which cucumber can be consumed to gain its health benefits.

Cucumber water (Detox water)

Cucumber detox water is one of the most advised drinks which help in losing weight. You need to consume this drink almost throughout the day to help you stay hydrated and detoxify your body.

You will need: 1 medium sized cucumber, 1 liter cold water.

Method: Cut one medium sized cucumber and add it to cold water. Let the cucumber slices fuse in the water for a few hours. You can prepare this mixture in a water bottle and consume it directly throughout the day.

This is the easiest way to detoxify your body and gain the health benefits from cucumber.

Cucumber Juice recipe

Another recipe which includes cucumber for effective weight loss is cucumber juice. Added with a hint of spinach, this juice can help you gain maximum health benefits as well.

You will need: 1 medium sized cucumber, a handful of spinach, water and cumin powder (optional).

Method: Slice one medium sized cucumber and chop the spinach. Add a little bit of water to it and blend it until it forms a juice. You can add cumin powder, salt or lemon to enhance it taste and weight loss effect.

Make sure that you drink this juice fresh everyday to gain its nutritional benefits.

Cucumber and Lemon Juice (With ginger and mint)

Addition of lemon, ginger and mint to cucumber helps in quicker and more effective weight loss benefits. Lemon contains certain components known as pepsin which help in burning fat. It also improved digestion and improves the metabolic rate of the body.

Ginger is another ingredient which helps in burning fat and losing weight. A component named ginergol helps in effectively burning fat and prevents gas and bloating. The third additional ingredient which helps in weight loss is mint. Mint effectively helps in improving digestion and acts as an anti- inflammatory ingredient. It also helps in efficiently reducing bloating and water retention.

Combined with cucumber, you can imagine how these ingredients can boost up your weight loss and give you additional health benefits.

Method: Boil 1 cup of water and add 10 mint leaves. Keep it aside and let it infuse for a while. Squeeze the lemon and properly mix the lemon juice with the mint infusion. Peel the cucumber, slice it and blend. Mix the cucumber juice with the mixture. Add grated ginger and pour the water in it. Mix well.

Your drink is ready to be served.

Cucumber Salad with Tomato

Tomato is another common vegetable used in Indian households. It also has a number of health benefits and aids in weight loss. Tomatoes have antioxidant properties which help in detoxifying the body, helping in weight loss. In addition, tomatoes are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. A small sized tomato consists of around 16 calories, which can be substituted for high calorie snacks such as spicy samosa’s. Tomatoes are also helpful in boosting the metabolic rate, which helps in burning fat at a faster pace. Combined with cucumber in a raw form, it can excessively increase your weight loss pace. Let us learn the method of preparing cucumber salad with tomatoes.

Method: Slice 2 medium sized tomatoes and cucumbers. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well. You can also add oregano or mixed herbs to enhance the flavor.

Make sure that you consume this salad fresh every day. You can consume vegetable salad before your main meal or as a morning or late noon snack.

Cucumber Diet- Simple yet Effective

I have already discussed the various beneficial factors of cucumber for weight loss. There is a simple way of losing weight using cucumbers which is known as the cucumber diet. It is extremely simple to follow and is quite effective in terms of weight loss. Let us discuss what exactly the cucumber diet is.

Following the cucumber diet will help you keep full for at least 2 to 3 hours, make you feel light and help you lose weight quickly. In addition, cucumbers also help you in other health benefits such as clear skin and getting rid of dehydration. You need not follow any crash diets when you can easily take up the cucumber salad diet. This is a tasty and healthy way of detoxifying your body and losing weight at the same time.

To make the cucumber salad, slice 2 medium cucumbers and add salt, dried mixed herbs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. You need to follow this diet for 3 days to lose up to 2 kgs. Below is the routine for the cucumber diet:

This diet will be low in calories overall. You can do some light exercise such as a 30 minute walk to keep you active and enhance the effect. Between you can also check my diet which helped me to reduce weight in my journey.

More Health Benefits of Cucumber

We have seen the various weight loss benefits of cucumber and ways of using it for the same. Now let us discuss the various health benefits apart from weight loss given by cucumber.

Fights dehydration

As I said earlier, cucumbers have 95% of water content which helps your body to hydrate. It effectively fights dehydration and gives you energy throughout the day.

Good for eyes and skin

You must have definitely put on cucumber slices over your eyes during a beauty regime. The reason to do so is because cucumber helps in reducing puffiness around the eyes. Cucumber is also helpful in rejuvenation of the skin. It makes our skin clear, fresh and helps in getting rid of sunburn and windburn.

Controls diabetes

According to NIH research, with a low glycemic index of 15, cucumbers also have a low calorie count. One medium sized cucumber contains 2.6 g of carbohydrates and 14 to 16 calories. So, a low calorie count and low glycemic index will help in lowering down the blood sugar level, which will ultimately help in controlling diabetes.

Healthy hair

Cucumber has a good amount of sulfur and silicon which helps in promotion of healthy hair. It will help you improve your hair growth rate. If combined with spinach and carrot, this combination can work faster to help you gain thick and healthy hair.

Prevents cancer

Cucumber contains 3 different lignans which are lariciresinol, pinoresinol and secoisolariciresinol, which help in preventing many types of cancer such as breat cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. Regular consumption of cucumbers can help in preventing these types of cancer.

Healthy teeth, gums and nails

The presence of high amount of silica in cucumbers make it useful for gaining healthy teeth, gums and nails. Regular consumption of cucumber juice can make your gums stronger, and does not allow your nails to split or get damaged.

Thus, cucumber takes an important place in the list of ‘wonder food items’, which not only help in weight loss but also promotes other health benefits. Cucumber is easy to use and is easily available. Having almost no side effects, cucumbers are a healthy alternative to many snacks and can quickly burn the extra fat accumulated in your body. You can also viwe similar vegetables like Lauki and coriander leaves, which help in weight loss in very similar way like cucumber.

NOTE - Friends, I am not dietitian or Doctor, I write information here on the basis of my own 25 kilo weight loss experience and sometimes from online research. Please take doctor advice before applying any tip, as each and every human body is different.

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About Me

Hi, I am Seema, mother of two Naughty and Beautiful kids. I love trying new recipes and finding Kitchen hacks. From january 2016, i am trying to lose weight and successfully lost 28 kg, my aim is reducing 30 kilo. Here in this blog, I am sharing all my experience. By god grace, hope this Dream comes true soon 🙂